The inputs and weighted shortlist
The model considers job fit (30), starting channel (20), data need (15), ownership (15), contact basis (10) and implementation readiness (10). A longer decision cycle adds a record-continuity consideration. These internal weights build a category shortlist; they are editorial model choices, not a scientific benchmark or product rating.
Hard rules take precedence
- Support resolves to helpdesk before marketing categories.
- A consumer or social enquiry does not establish a B2B research task.
- Campaign categories are excluded without a documented contact basis for that task.
- Missing reply ownership returns process first; a missing shared record prioritizes establishing the record.
- Low volume with a constrained budget returns a manual-first plan.
- Existing matching capability returns consolidate first before a new purchase.
Provider eligibility is a separate step
A category can be useful without a listed provider. Named research candidates must match the category or an explicitly selected extra task. The current editorial shortlist is not exhaustive and is not ordered by a performance score. A multi-capability product can appear in more than one valid task.
Freshness and testing scope
Each positioning and capability record retains its own actual review date and exact source. They expire after 45 days until reviewed again. No hands-on product tests or customer outcomes are claimed. Automated checks validate our rules and website behavior; they do not validate vendor performance.
How to challenge a result
Inspect the inputs, version and reasons in the exported brief. Use the corrections worksheet to describe which boundary appears incorrect and what source or workflow would change it. Do not include personal contact lists or confidential customer data.
How an answer changes the decision
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| Input condition | Result behavior | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Support is the primary job | Helpdesk is the task category before readiness checks | A marketing response is not issue resolution |
| Consumer or social input used for a business-sales task | Process first; no execution candidate | Clarify the customer, starting signal and purpose |
| Nurture without a separate opt-in email source | Process first; no lifecycle candidate | A social interaction or database record does not establish a subscriber lifecycle |
| No stated external account-data gap | Process first for a discovery job | Define missing information before selecting a data provider |
| No reply owner | Process first | Assign responsibility and demonstrate the manual routine |
| No shared record, with other gates satisfied | Establish the relationship record first | A shared sheet can be sufficient; this is not a CRM purchase instruction |
| Existing matching capability | Consolidate first | Test the current plan against a specific gap |
| Low volume with constrained budget or no new budget | Process first | These are planning assumptions, not a validated ROI model |
Commerce research has separate inputs
The sales fit finder still evaluates eight core categories. Inventory, manufacturing, shipping, bundles, storefronts, multichannel orders, customer SMS, marketplace analytics, print on demand and creative research require separate operating information. Use the commerce desk and its worksheets; these products are not inserted into a sales result without matching inputs.
Limits of the model
Inputs are self-reported operational ranges. The model does not inspect an account, verify contact permission, price a subscription or predict sales performance. Volume and budget breakpoints are editorial planning choices, not industry benchmarks. Ownership, contact basis and implementation conditions are readiness checks; their weights should not be read as empirical accuracy percentages.
The provider list is selective and currently covers twenty-eight profiles. A missing vendor is not evidence of unsuitability. A product can span several categories, and a single current tool may cover more than one requirement. The tool does not change category because of commission rates.